Spring-lid box.



No. 802,979. PATBNTED 001331, 1905.

A. M. ENGLISH.

SPRING LID BOX.

APPLICATION FILED FEB, 5, 1901.

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\ ANALDO M. ENGLISH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WILTON E.DRAKE, OF VVINTHROP, MASSACHUSETTS, AND ALAN- SON W. FARRINGTON, OFLEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPRING-LID BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1905.

Application filed February 5, 1901. Serial No 46,051.

To (All whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANALDo M- ENGLISH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Spring-Lid Boxes;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appert-ains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to an improvement in spring-lid boxes.

The object of my invention is to improve and simplify the constructionof spring-lid boxes and to make a box in which the spring when in oneposition acts to hold the lid open and when in another position to holdthe lid closed.

Another object of'my invention is to make an improved spring-lid box inwhich the spring which acts to hold the lid open or closed shall at thesame time constitute the hinge by which the lid is pivoted to the box.

To the above end the present invention consists in the improvedspring-lid box hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the preferred form of myinvention, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improved spring-lidbox open. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation. Fig. 3 is a section on the line a;m of Fig. 1, showing the lid closed; and Fig. Lis a section on line 1 y,Fig. 1, showing the lid open. Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively plan andfront elevations of the spring used in the construction of the boxillustrated in the other figures shown separate from the lid and box.

I have shown my improvement in springlid boxes in connection with aspectacle or eyeglass case; but it is to be understood that my inventionrelates to spring-lid boxes irrespective of their character or use.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention the box 1 and lid 2- aremade of sheet metal, and the spring 3 constitutes the hinge by which thelid is secured to the box and the means for holding the lid either inits open or in its closed position. The sheet metal of the box and lidare extended beyond the edges of the members and bent back uponthemselves, as at 4 and 5, to embrace the spring. According to myinvention the spring 3 is rigidly secured. to one of the members, as thelid 2.

This is conveniently accomplished by forming 'a bend or bends in thewire spring 3 and inclosing these bends within the bent portion 5 of themetal of the lid. My invention con templates any device or means ofattaching one end of the spring rigidly to one of the membersthat is,either to the lid or to the box; but I prefer to attach the springrigidly to the lid, because such arrangement ismore convenient in themanufacture of the boxes. So,therefore,while my invention in its broaderaspects is not limited to securing the spring rigidly to the lid. butcontemplates securing it rigidly to either the lid or the box, I preferfor the reasons stated and for other reasons apparent to those skilledin the art to attach the same rigidly to the lid. The spring 3 ispivotally secured in hinged hearings to the other member, as the box 1,so that when the lid is opened or closed the spring turning with the lidmay rotate with relation to the box. In the illustrated embodiment of myinvention the two similar ends of the spring 3 are inclosed within thebent portion 4: of the box, and these parts of the spring3 are pivotedon the box on lines inclined to and intersecting the axis about whichthe lid turns. At the point where the spring leaves the box the springis coincident with the axis upon which the lid turns. These portions. ofthe spring therefore constitute hinges, and the parts of. the springextending down into the bent portion A of the box constitute the springswhich operate to exert their force in the direction to close or open thelid according to the position which the lid shallat the time occupy. Asseenfrom Figs. 5 and 6, in which the spring is shown apart from the boxand lid, these portions of the spring are initially bent to apositioninclined to the plane of the part of the spring inclosed by the bentportion 5 of the lid. These portions of the spring so initially bentbeing inclosed Within the bent portion of the box in the position shownin Fig. 1 of the drawings operate when the lid is in the position shownin Fig, 1 to exert a pressure upon the lid tending to hold it open, andwhen the lid is turned to the position shown in Fig. 3 they exert apressure upon the lid tending to hold the lid closed. It is to beobserved in this connection that my invention in' its broader aspects isnot limited to aspring which subserves both the function of a hinge andspring, but that it is capable of being used in spring-lid boxes whichare provided with a hinge or hinges separate from the spring. It is alsoto be noted that my invention is not limited to a double spring, asshown, as each half of the spring is complete and operative as a springfor holding the lid open or closed independent of the other half of thespring; butI prefer to use the double spring of the character shown,because in such case the spring constitutes the only means for securingthe lid to the box, and which construction, furthermore, cond uces tosimplicity and ease of manufacture.

In the operation of turning the lid from its closed to its openposition, or vice versa, the part of the spring inclosed within thebentportion 4 of the box is strained, and it is thereby distortedflexurally. Therefore I prefer to make the inclosing portions of the boxlarger in the middle, as at a, than at the ends, as at b, so that at theends the spring is closely engaged by the metal, and in the middle aspace is provided within which this part of the spring may bend. As seenin Fig. 4, the

bent portion t closely embraces the spring 3 inclosed thereby at thepoint where the spring leaves the box. As seen in Fig. 3, the end of'the spring is embraced between two parts of the bent portion 4, thisV-shaped notch being open on its under side and the initial bend of thespring tending tohold the end thereof in the notch, as shown. By thismeans it will be seen that the part of the spring embraced by the bentportion 40f the box is supported at opposite ends so that during theturning of the lid this portion of the spring may bend without coming incontact with the walls of the inclosing metal, whereby the frictionincident to the turning of the spring is much diminished.

Havingthus described my invention,I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States 1. A spring-lid box. having, incombination, a sheet-metal box, a sheet-metal lid and a springconsisting of a bent piece of wire, the sheet metal of the box and lidbeing bent back upon themselves to receive the spring, the part of thespring inclosed by the benttion, a box, a lid and a spring consisting ofa piece of wire rigidly secured to one'member and pivotally secured tothe other member on a line inclined to and intersecting the axis aboutwhich the lid turns, substantially as described.

3. A spring-lid box, having, in combination, a box, a lid and a springconsisting of a piece of wire rigidly secured to one member andpivotally secured to the other member on a line inclined to andintersecting the axis about which the lid turns, the portion of thespring which is pivotally secured to the said member being supported atits opposite ends and free at its intermediate portions, substantiallyas described.

4:. A spring-lid box consisting of a box provided with a hinge bearing,a lid, and a piece of wire constituting a combined hinge-pintle andspring rigidly secured to the lid and engaging said hinge-bearing in thebox, acting in one position to h old the lid closed and in anotherposition to hold thelid open, substantially as described.

5. A spring-lid box, having, in combination, a box provided with ahinge-bearing, and a lid provided with a piece of spring-wire rigidlysecured thereto at one end, the other end of said spring-wire passingloosely through said hinge-bearing in which it is adapted to turn, saidhinge-bearing being inclined to the axis upon which thelid turns andsaid springwire being initiallybent and being laterally distorted whenin place in the box so that it tends to hold the lid in both open andclosed positions, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, ANALDO M. ENGLISH.

Witnesses:

HORACE VAN EVEREN, ALFRED H HILDRETH.

